Desperate Straights

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Desperate Straights
Studio album by Slapp Happy with Henry Cow
Released	1975
Recorded	The Manor, Oxfordshire, England, November 1974
Genre	Avant-progressive rock
Length	36:06
Label	Virgin (UK)
Producer	Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Simon Heyworth
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Piero Scaruffi (7/10) link Pitchfork (8.2/10) link
Slapp Happy chronology
Slapp Happy (1974) Desperate Straights (1975) In Praise of Learning (1975)
Henry Cow chronology
Unrest (1974) Desperate Straights (1975) In Praise of Learning (1975)

Desperate Straights is an album by British avant-garde rock groups Slapp Happy and Henry Cow, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in November 1974. It was the first of two collaborative albums by the two groups and was released in 1975.

Almost all of the album comprises Slapp Happy composed material and it is for this reason that it is generally regarded as a Slapp Happy album with backing by Henry Cow. The music is an unusual blend of avant-garde music and nostalgic pop, and the success of this collaboration led to the two bands merging.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Personnel 2.1 Guests 2.2 Sound and art work 3 CD reissues 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Track listing

Side One

1. "Some Questions about Hats" (Moore, Blegvad) – 1:49
2. "The Owl" (Moore) – 2:14
3. "A Worm is at Work" (Moore, Blegvad) – 1:52
4. "Bad Alchemy" (Greaves, Blegvad) – 3:06
5. "Europa" (Moore, Blegvad) – 2:48
6. "Desperate Straights" (Moore) – 4:14
7. "Riding Tigers" (Blegvad) – 1:43

Side Two

1. "Apes in Capes" (Moore) – 2:14
2. "Strayed" (Blegvad) – 1:53
3. "Giants" (Moore, Blegvad) – 1:57
4. "Excerpt from The Messiah" Handel, Blegvad) – 1:48
5. "In the Sickbay" (Krause, Blegvad) – 2:08
6. "Caucasian Lullaby" (Cutler, Moore) – 8:20

[edit] Personnel

• Dagmar Krause (credited as "Dagmar") – Voice, Wurlitzer ("In the Sickbay")
• Peter Blegvad – Guitar, voice
• Anthony Moore – Piano
• Tim Hodgkinson – Clarinet, piano
• Fred Frith – Guitar, violin
• John Greaves – Bass guitar, piano
• Chris Cutler – Drums, etc

[edit] Guests

• Geoff Leigh – Flute
• Pierre Moerlen – Percussion ("Europa")
• Muchsin Campbell – French horn
• Mongezi Feza – Trumpet
• Nick Evans – Trombone
• Lindsay Cooper – Bassoon, oboe

[edit] Sound and art work

• Slapp Happy – Producers
• Henry Cow – Producers
• Simon Heyworth – Producer
• Peter Blegvad – Cover art

[edit] CD reissues

• In 1993 Virgin Records reissued Desperate Straights together with Slapp Happy's Casablanca Moon on CD.
• In 2004 Recommended Records reissued Desperate Straights on CD by itself.

[edit] See also

• Henry Cow Box (2006)

[edit] External links

• Fred Frith discography

v • d • e Slapp Happy Peter Blegvad • Dagmar Krause • Anthony Moore Discography Sort Of (1972) • Slapp Happy (1974) • Acnalbasac Noom (1980) • Ça Va (1998) • Live in Japan (2001) with Henry Cow: Desperate Straights (1975) • In Praise of Learning (1975) Related bands Faust • Henry Cow

v • d • e Henry Cow Lindsay Cooper • Chris Cutler • Fred Frith • Tim Hodgkinson • Dagmar Krause Georgie Born • John Greaves • Geoff Leigh Dave Attwood • Rob Brooks • Martin Ditcham • Joss Graham • Andy Powell • Sean Jenkins Discography Leg End (1973) • Unrest (1974) • Henry Cow Concerts (1976) • Western Culture (1979) with Slapp Happy: Desperate Straights (1975) • In Praise of Learning (1975) Box sets Henry Cow Box (2006) Related bands Slapp Happy • Art Bears See also Rock in Opposition